Fuel feeder for grates



0. n. comm. FUEL FEEDER FOR GRATES.

I APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, I920.

1,436,794. Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

' B lgENTOR;

JA; ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

UNITED STATES ORVILLE 1:. common, or narrow, 0x10.

FUEL FEEDER FOB GBATES.

'Application me m 27,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORVILLE D. COTTON, a citizen of the United States,residin in the city of Da ton, in the county of ontgomery and tate ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel Feedersfor Grates, of which the following is a ecification.

The principal object of my invention is to provide for smaller sizeheating units where a complete mechanical furnace is rohibitive onaccount of first cost, a uel feeder which is simple and durable inconstruction and economical in operation. By giving a continuous, evendlstribution of uel over the entire grate surface, with the rate of feedbeing instantly adjustable from a minimum of no feed to a maximum of allthat can be burned on the grate surface, my coal feeder willincreaseboth the capacit and efficiency of the heatin unit and wilreduce to a minimum the la or required to operate it.

My fuel use in laundries, places where the initial mechanical furnace isprohibitive, manufacturing and other plants where the space availabledoes not permit the use of a mechanical furnace. It will burn the lowestgrade of fuel cleanly and economically, and will comply with the mostexacting smoke ordinances. Furthermore, it will infeeder is particularlyadapted for school houses and other cost of a complete and for creaseboiler capacity, reduce maintenance p cost and increase boiler roomefliciency.

Other important and incidental objects will be brought out in thefollowing specification, and particularly set forth in the subjoinedclaims.

In the accompanyin drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewof a furnace equip ed with my fuel feeder. Figure 2 is a rent view ofthe pusher box and the operating means therefor. And Figure 3 is a sideview of the eccentric means for reci rocating the pusher box.

T roughout the specification and drawings, similar reference charactersdenote corres onding parts.

eferring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates a horsepower horizontal tubular boiler mounted above a furnace 2. Secured tothe furnace front above the fire door 3 is a feeder housing 4. Su portedby the latter is a fuel hopper 5.

ecured within the housing 4 is an in- 1920. Serial Io. 899,259. I

The fuel drops in front of the pusher box 7 by gravity, to be deliveredb the latter to the distributing blades 11 W ich throw it upon thegratesurface, their speed and angle be ng properly arranged to give aneven distribution of the fuel over the entire grate surface.

The pusher box 7 is reciprocated for the above purpose by the followingmeans. Re-

ferring to Figures 1 and 2, there are pivotally secured within recessedportions of the pusher box 7, the free ends of rocker arms 13, 13 faston a shaft 14 journaled in bearings 15, 15 in the housing 4. Fixedlysecured on one outer end of the shaft 14 is a rocker arm 16 having ahorizontal pin portion 17 that projects through a hole in a block 18.(See Figure 3.)

Projecting through a transverse hole in the bottom portion of the block18 below the pin 17, is an eccentric rod 19 adapted to be reci rocatedby an eccentric 20 on a stub sha t 21. The latter is rotated by the lineshaft 22 through a sprocket chain 23 which asses around a sprocket wheel24 on the line shaft and a larger sprocket wheel 25 on the stub shaft.(See Figures 1 and 3.)

The block 18 is positioned for a free movement on the eccentric rod 19between a shoulder 26 thereon and an adjusting nut 27 threaded on itsouter end. By means of the latter the throw of the pusher box may bemade instantl adjustable, for by movin the nut 27 towar the shoulder 26,the bloc 18 will be forced forwardly and rearwardly a greater distanceby the eccentric rod than when said nut is moved away from the shoulder26. In the latter instance the rod 19 will move a greater distancethrough the block 18 without imparting motion to it than in the formerinstance. On the end of the eccentric rod 19 receiving the adjusting nut27, a lock nut 28 is provided to maintain it in its adjusted position.

In operation, the fuel drops from the hoper 5, by gravity, in front ofthe pusher ex 7 by which it is delivered to the distributi blades 11,being grevented from avalan ing upon themby t e rear deflector plate 29secured within the housing 4 and inclining downwardly to a point ustabove the plane of movement of said pusher box. The revolvingdistributin blades 11, to which the fuel is delivere by the pusher box,evenly distribute it over the entire grate surface. All that is uired ofthe operator is to supply the fue to the hopper and by means of the nuts27 and 28, to ad ust the motion of the pusher'box to feed suflicientfuel to the grate to meet the steam requirements.

It will thus be seen that my fuel feeder is simple and strong inconstruction, and as it is not exposed to the heat of the fire, there isalmost no maintenance expense. In case fuel not suitable to be'handledby the feeder is all that is available, or in case the feeder is for anyreason out of commission, the

grate may be fired by hand. This is very convenient when, at times, itis desirable to burn refuse.

Having described my invention, I claim:

In a device of the type described, the combmation with a fuel hop er, ofa horizontally movable pusher box a distributing mechanism in front ofsai pusher box, means for reeiprocati said pusher box to deliver to thedistributing mechanism, the fuel which descends from the hopper, and astationary deflector late between the distributing mechanism an thepusher box for guiding the descending fuel to a place where it may beeffectively ushed upon the distributing mechanism y the pusher box.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of July,1920.

ORVILLE n. COTTON.

Witness Howm S. Sm'rn.

elow said hopper

